ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Railways
Transportation of Agricultural Products through Kisan Rails
In compliance to the announcement made in Union Budget 2020-21, Kisan Rail trains have been introduced by Indian Railways to enable speedy movement of perishables including fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fishery and dairy products from production or surplus regions to consumption or deficient regions. Kisan Rail services are time tabled as well as demand based. Kisan Rail enables farmers to utilize the vast railway network to gain access to distant, bigger and more lucrative markets. It is based on the concept of multi commodity, multi consignor, multi consignee and multi stoppages. There is no minimum limit on quantity that can be booked, enabling small farmers to reach bigger and distant markets.
Potential circuits for movement of Kisan Rail services are identified in consultation with Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Agriculture/Animal Husbandry/Fisheries Departments of State Governments as well as local bodies and agencies, Mandis etc., and based on demand, rakes are provided on priority for running of Kisan Rail services.
Since the launch of first Kisan Rail service on 7th August 2020 and upto 28th November 2021, Indian Railway have operated 1,642 Kisan Rail services, transporting approximately 5.4 lakh tonnes of perishables including onion, banana, potato, garlic, pomegranate, oranges, capsicum, cabbage, cauliflower, and other fruits and vegetables. These services have operated from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
So far, no difficulties have been faced during the transportation of goods through Kisan rail services. Halts, number of trips and composition of time-tabled Kisan Rail services and introduction of new services are finalized in consultation with farmers and consignors.
This information was given by the Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronic & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Law and Justice
Law Commission floats Consultation Paper on Family Law Reform
This consultation on family law reforms in India, discusses a range of provisions within all family laws, secular or personal, and suggests a number of changes to in the form of potential amendments and fresh enactments.
As general suggestions to reforming family law, the paper discusses the introduction of new grounds for ‘no fault’ divorce accompanied by corresponding changes to provisions on alimony and maintenance, rights of differently-abled individuals within marriage, the thirty-day period for registration of marriages under Special Marriage Act; uncertainty and inequality in age of consent for marriage, compulsory registration of marriage, bigamy upon conversion etc.
Under Hindu law the paper among other issues discusses problems with provisions like restitution of conjugal rights, and further suggests the inclusion of concepts such as ‘community of property’ of a married couple, abolition of coparcenary, rights of illegitimate children et al. There are further suggestions for addressing self-acquired property of a Hindu female.
Under Muslim law the paper discusses the reform in inheritance law through codification of Muslim law on inheritance, but ensuring that the codified law is gender just. The paper also discusses the rights of a widow, and the changes application to general laws such as introduction of community of  property after marriage, inclusion of irretrievable breakdown of marriage as a ground for divorce.
Under Parsi law there are suggestions relating to protecting married women’s right to inherit property even if they marry outside their community.
The paper also suggests the expansion of the Juvenile Justice  Act, 2015, to make it into a robust secular law that can be accessed by individuals of all communities for adoption. There are suggestions for amending the guidelines for adoption and also a suggestion to alter the language of the Act to accommodate all gender identities.
The paper discusses lacunae within custody and guardianship laws, statutory or customary, and suggests that the ‘best interest of the child’ has to remain the paramount consideration in deciding matters of custody regardless of any prevailing personal law in place.
Although the sixth schedule provides exemptions and exemptions to states in the North East and tribal areas, we suggest that efforts of women’s organisations in these areas be acknowledged and relied upon in this regard to suggest ways in which family law reform could be aided by the state even when direct intervention may not be possible.
Since a number of these issues such as polygamy, nikah halala, settlement of a Parsi wife’s property for benefit of children, as well as the law on adultery among others is presently sub judice before the Supreme Court, they have been discussed in the paper but comprehensive changes on some of these issues have not been suggested at this stage.
For detailed consultation paper:-
Link: Consultation Paper on Reform of Family Law
NNK/MD
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PIB Headquarters
Vellore Postal Division to roll out Core System Integration solution Core System Integration solution
Vellore Postal division will be the first division in Tamil Nadu Circle to rollout Core System Integration solution  along with Office of PMG Chennai city Region, Office of CPMG Tamilnadu Circle, Office of GM Finance and Accounts. CSI will be implemented in Vellore HPO and in all its 46 sub post offices under Vellore Postal Division.
Sri R. Anand IPoS, Postmaster General of Chennai City Region inaugurated the Core System Integration Solution at Vellore HPO today . Smt. K. Vijaya, Superintendent of Post Offices, Vellore Division was also present on the occasion. The roll out of CSI solution will be implemented in all the 45 postal divisions of Tamil Nadu Circle in a phased manner and will be completed within this year. The rollout of CSI has been commenced so far in 8 other states since 2015.
India Post has taken up the IT modernisation project for improving its operations and service delivery in several phases. It has successfully implemented Core banking solution and Core insurance solution in most of the post offices in the country through Finacle & McCamish applications. To consolidate these efforts of IT modernisation, India Post has introduced the CSI solution.
CSI solution has provision for upgradation of Mail handling & Counter Operations, Finance & Accounting and Human Recourses on a new platform , CSI solution is expected to bring all the services of a post office and its administration under one roof. CSI functions on centralised online real time exchange of all the transactions including mails thus resulting in better accuracy and speed of the operations. At present the postal transactions are made off- line and later updates are made online. Introduction of CSI will enable real time updates and that would enable faster and more reliable service in Postal operations, Logistics, Banking, Insurance and Retail Operations. It ensures better visibility of various activities in Mail streaming and transparency in financial Services. CSI avoids double entry of transaction at post offices which reduces the operational time. It also facilitates the customers to avail “Door step Pick of Mails” and instant tracking of various kinds of mails.
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President's Secretariat
PRESIDENT OF INDIA TO VISIT KERALA, TAMIL NADU AND LAKSHADWEEP FROM MARCH 16 TO 21
The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu will visit Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep from March 16 to 21, 2023.
On March 16, 2023, the President will visit INS Vikrant and present the President’s Colour to INS Dronacharya in Kochi.
On March 17, 2023, the President will visit Mata Amritanandamayi Math in Kollam. On the same day, she will attend a civic reception to be hosted in her honour in Thiruvananthapuram. At the civic reception function, the President will also inaugurate Kudumbashree@25 through Rachna: contemporary stories of women in Kerala; and ‘Unnathi’ for comprehensive development of Scheduled Tribe.
On March 18, 2023, the President will pay tributes at Vivekananda Smarak and statue of Thiruvalluvar and visit the Vivekananda Kendra in Kanniyakumari. On the same evening, she will attend a civic reception to be hosted in her honour at Kavaratti.
On March 19, 2023, the President will interact with members of Self Help Groups at Kavaratti.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting orders blocking of Apps, website and social media accounts linked to banned organization Sikhs For Justice
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has ordered blocking of apps, website, and social media accounts of foreign-based “Punjab Politics TV” having close links with Sikhs For Justice , an organization that has been declared unlawful under the Unlawful Activities  Act, 1967. Relying on intelligence inputs that the channel was attempting to use online media to disturb public order during the ongoing State Assembly Elections, the Ministry used emergency powers under the IT Rules on 18th February to block the digital media resources of “Punjab Politics TV”.
The contents of the blocked apps, website, and social media accounts had the potential to incite communal disharmony and separatism; and were found to be detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the State, and public order. It was also observed that the launch of new apps and social media accounts was timed to gain traction during the ongoing elections.
The Government of India remains vigilant and committed to secure the overall information environment in India and thwart any actions having the potential to undermine India’s sovereignty and integrity.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Union Minister Shri Anurag Singh Thakur meets H.E. Dr. Hasan Mahmud, Minister of Information & Broadcasting of Bangladesh
India and Bangladesh agree to fast track completion of film “Bangabandhu”; expected to release internationally in March 2022
Framework for special celebrations on the occasion of “Maitri Diwas” on 6th December, 2021 to be explored
Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Hon’ble Minister of Information & Broadcasting held a meeting with the delegation of Bangladesh led by H.E. Dr. Hasan Mahmud, Hon’ble Minister of Information & Broadcasting of Bangladesh to discuss matters of mutual interest and further the strong ties between the two countries in areas of broadcasting and entertainment, strengthening people to people contact and exploring the potential of soft power interface between the two countries. H.E. Dr. Hasan Mahmud thanked Shri Anurag Singh Thakur for hosting him and his team to discuss the matters of mutual interest and cooperation. He appreciated the pro-active steps taken by the Indian Government and made special mention of the visit of Shri Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister to Bangladesh in March, 2021.
2. Shri Anurag Thakur expressed satisfaction over the production of the movie “Bangabandhu” on the life and times of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and mentioned “major part of the production has been completed and I expect the production be over by March, 2022, if the COVID situation so permits, so that the movie could be released internationally in March, 2022”.
3. It was also agreed to pro-actively pursue production of the documentary film on “Liberation of Bangladesh in 1971”. Discussions also took place on strengthening of ties between the two countries in the areas of digital entertainment and screening of films of each other’s country through mutual exchange.
4. The two Ministers also discussed the celebration of “Maitri Diwas” on 6th December, 2021 for which a mutually accepted Action Plan would be detailed and carried out. Shri Thakur thanked the Government of Bangladesh for its active participation in 51st IFFI held in January, 2021 and invited renewed participation in 52nd IFFI to be held in Goa in November, 2021. Both the Ministers lent support to cooperation between the two countries for further strengthening of cultural and people to people ties.
Saurabh Singh
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Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Reservation for Differently Abled Youths
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, inter-alia, provides reservation for Persons with Disabilities. Four per cent of the total number of vacancies to be filled up by direct recruitment, in the cadre strength, in each group of posts, i.e. Groups A, B and C, are reserved for such persons in following manner –
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Categories
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Percentage
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- blindness and low vision
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1%
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- deaf and hard of hearing
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1%
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- locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy
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1%
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- autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness; and
- multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses  to  including deaf-blindness
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1%
This was stated by Union Minister of State  Science & Technology; Minister of State  Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh todayin a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
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SNC
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The Competition Commission of India  has found All India Film Employees Confederation , Federation of Western India Cine Employees  & its affiliates and three producer associations i.e. Indian Motion Picture Producers Association , Film and Television Producers Guild of India  and Indian Film and Television Producers Council  to be in contravention of provisions of Section 3 of the Competition Act, 2002  which prohibits anti-competitive agreements.
The Final Order was passed on an information filed by Shri Vipul Shah who alleged that specific provisions of the MoU dated 01.10.2010  signed between FWICE and producer associations i.e. IMPPA, FTPGI, and IFTPC relating to member-to-member working, fixation of wages, charging for extra-shift, etc. to be anti-competitive. The conduct of FWICE and its affiliated craft associations in enforcing these provisions was also alleged to be anti-competitive.
CCI found Clause 6, which mandated that the producer can only engage with the members of FWICE and its affiliates, and Clause 18, which provided for the constitution of vigilance committee to enforce Clause 6, of the MoU as violative of Section 3 read with Section 3 of the Act. Further, the directive to engage dancers/fighters in the ratio of 70:30 was also found to be in contravention of Section 3 read with Section 3 of the Act. Clauses relating to fixation of wages, payment for extra shift, etc. were not found to be anti-competitive.
CCI also noted in its order that trade unions enjoy no immunity or exemption for their conduct which contravenes the provisions of the Act and accordingly, the plea of the trade unions being governed only by the provisions of Trade Union Act, 1926 was rejected.
CCI has issued a cease and desist order against the associations in respect of the conduct found to be in contravention of the Act. However, no monetary penalty was imposed on any of the associations.
A copy of the order passed in Case No. 19 of 2014 under Section 27 of the Act has been uploaded on the website of CCI at www.cci.gov.in.
Ministry of Communications
Department of Posts invites online applications for recruitment of Gramin Dak Sevaks 
Panaji, 9 May 2022
The Department of Posts has invited online applications for recruitment of Gramin Dak Sevaks . The candidate who desires to apply online will have to register himself/herself in the portal through the Website : http://indiapostgdsonline.gov.in w.e.f 02.05.2022 to 05.06.2022.
The other conditions for the candidate are i] Secondary School examination pass certificate i.e 10th Standard. ii] The candidates for GDS categories will be required to furnish basic Computer Training Course Certificate of at least 60 days duration, from any computer training institute run by Central Govt/ State Govt /Universities/Boards/ Private Institutions Organisations. This requirement of basic computer knowledge certificate shall be relaxable in cases where a candidate has studied computer as a subject in Matriculation or class XII or any other higher educational level and in such cases, a separate certificates need not be enclosed. The candidate should have studied the local language at least up to 10th standard. The local language for Goa State is taken as Konkani/Marathi.
Age limit for General Category candidate is 18 to 40 years, for OBC 18 to 43 year, SC/ST 18 to 45 years EWS [candidates not covered under SC/ST/OBC and whose family has gross annual income below Rs.8.00 lakh are identified as Economically Weaker Sections for the benefit of reservation and are required to produce income and asset certificate in prescribed proforma] 18 to 40 years, as on the date of issue of online notification i.e. 02.05.2022.
The selected candidate should reside in Post village/delivery jurisdiction of the post office within one month after selection but before engagement. This condition is not a pre-requisite for candidate for the purpose of applying to the post or selection there to and the selected candidate shall be required to comply with the prescribed condition within the time stipulated. i] The selected candidates on engagement should be required to furnish security for Rs 1,00,000/- in the form of fidelity bond for BPM and for other GDS posts. For further details and application format online candidate has to register himself/herself in the portal through the Website: http://indiapostgdsonline.gov.inPIB Panaji | VK/DR
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Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying
Grand Event of International Day of Yoga 2023 held at Krishi Bhawan
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India is also celebrating International Day of Yoga-2023 at all the subordinate offices and Autonomous Bodies. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying participated in the IDY, 2023 in the grand event held at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying also organized IDY, 2023 at extension office at Chandralok Building, New Delhi wherein Government employees participated in the Yoga event. The Government of India is celebrating International Day of Yoga every year. Ministry of Ayush has proposed to organize events as 9th International Day of Yoga , 2023 and theme was ‘Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.
The Department aims to bring more and more people into the fold of the activities of IDY-2023 as Mass Movement for Health and Well-being.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Procurement of paddy under MSP in Chhattisgarh region
An MoU has been signed between Government of India, State Government and Food Cooperation of India in both DCP and non – DCP States for procurement of paddy from farmers under central pool.
As per Clause No.3 of MoU of DCP State, “in the situation of State giving any bonus/ financial incentive in direct or indirect form, over and above MSP, if the overall procurement of the State is in excess of the total allocation of the State made by the Government of India under TPDS/ OWS, such excess quantity shall be treated to be outside the Central Pool”.
Initial targets are only estimates settled with States and States are asked if they are giving incentive or not. Some states including Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were found to be giving incentive so Central Government procurement is restricted to quantity which was procured in past without bonus/incentive. Central Government is following a uniform policy and supporting farmers across the Country. Same is followed in Chhattisgarh procurement.
During KMS 2020-21, the Government of Chhattisgarh had also published an advertisement / press release on 17.12.2020 detailing the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana that they will procure paddy from the farmers @ Rs.2500/- per quintal during KMS 2020-21 by paying Rs.10,000/- per acre which is a form of indirect incentive over and above the MSP which is as good as bonus on procurement of paddy.
Accordingly, it has been decided to allow 24 lakh MT of rice to be delivered to FCI under central pool during KMS 2020-21 which is equivalent to the quantity as allowed in previous years
Ministry of Women and Child Development
Scheme for Adolescent Girls
To ensure well-being of adolescent girls, Government is administering the Scheme for Adolescent Girls  under which nutritional and non-nutritional support is being provided to adolescent girls . Earlier the Scheme covered out-of-school AGs in the age group of 11-14 years. Under the said Scheme, Kishori Health Cards for AGs were maintained at the Anganwadi Centre  to record the information about the weight, height, Body Mass Index , along with the services provided to the AG under the scheme. The details of achievements/success made under the scheme were marked on Kishori Card and the card also carried important milestones of AGs life. However, the earlier Scheme has been discontinued since 31.03.2022 and the revised SAG Scheme has been introduced and subsumed under Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0. The targeted beneficiaries under the revised scheme are AGs in the age group of 14-18 years in Aspirational Districts of States including Assam and NE States.
Government is administering the Scheme for Promotion of Menstrual Hygiene among Adolescent Girls in the age group of 10-19 years since 2011 with specific objective of ensuring health for adolescent girls. The major objectives of the Scheme are:
- To increase awareness among adolescent girls on menstrual hygiene;
- To increase access to and use of high quality sanitary napkins to adolescent girl;
- To ensure safe disposal of sanitary napkins in an environmentally friendly manner.
Since 2015-16, the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme is supported by National Health Mission through State Programme Implementation Plan  route based on the proposals received from the States. States/UTs have decentralized procurement of sanitary napkins for ensuring quality standards. The sanitary napkins are sold to the adolescent girls at subsidized rates by the Accredited Social Health Activist . Community awareness is carried out through mass media activities and ASHA outreach.
Further, to break the inter generational cycle of anaemia, the Government is implementing Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation  which entails provision of weekly supervised IFA tablets to the in-school adolescent boys and girls and out of-school adolescent girls along with biannual albendazole tablets for helminthic control for prevention of iron and folic acid deficiency anaemia. The programme is implemented across the country both in rural and urban areas, covering government, government aided and municipal schools and Anganwadi Centres. Screening of targeted adolescent population for moderate/ severe anaemia and referral of these cases to an appropriate health facility and information and counselling for prevention of nutritional anaemia are also included in the programme.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.